How do I replace a heating element in an Electric Dryer?
A GE or Whirlpool Stackable washer & dryer. It takes 15 minutes for it to heat up and it still wont get hot enough to dry a load. Any ideas? I’ve never replaced a heating element and I don’t know how to test if that’s even the problem.
The problem as you describe it could be one of several things. Since you say it does heat, I don’t think it is the element. It may be the thermostat, or you may want to check and see if your ventilation system is clogged with lint. There are generally more than one element in dryers, (low and high heat). One element could be broken.
just remove the back of the dryer, from there u can see what u need to do….very easy
The symptoms you describe sounds like either the thermostat or the heating element itself. Depending on the dryer & your mechanical prowess if it is something you can do yourself or not. I know that I was able to replace a broken element in my own dryer, took me about an hour. But mine was not stackable, it was a standalone whirlpool.
Stackable units are considerably tougher to work on than normal stand alone units, however, if your unit is heating at all, then the element is fine. A broken element won’t heat at all, it must have continuity to work. It sounds to me like one side of your 220 Volt system has gone down, either a bad breaker or if you’re on a fused system, one fuse blown. If one side goes down, usually there’s no heat but the drum turns, however, it’s possible for the neutral side to go and leave the hot side up. That would give you 110 Volts to the element instead of the 220 needed to make it work properly. I’d also check the vent system to make sure it’s not blocked in any way. Also, there’s a big difference in a GE or a Whirlpool dryer, they have entirely different heating coils, located in completely different areas of the unit. We need to know which it is in order to help with replacement procedures.
if you don’t know if that is problem I would not replace it, I would have someone check it out first,
good luck